The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”

2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”

“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”

3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few.4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”

5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring.6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”

But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.

God is into you, whether you’re a king or you’re poor.

God formed the world before He filled it.

God is setting you up to do something special, and if things are starting to look impossible, it’s because God is about to be obvious.

The woman’s first response was to say she had nothing, and to minimize what she had left.

Sometimes we get so overwhelmed by our own scarcity that we minimize our supply.

Check Your Oil:

It is possible that you are overlooking the very thing God wants to work a miracle through.

God is about to do a miracle through something you don’t even think is worth mentioning.

The enemy wants you to despise your oil because he can’t steal your oil.

Oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit, God’s empowerment, and joy.

The size of your cloud (reference to Elijah and his servant looking for a cloud) doesn’t determine the size of your miracle. It’s not the amount of the oil…if God calls me and chooses me, nothing on earth will be able to stop me.

It might not be much but it’s not nothing.

The devil can’t take your gifts, but if he can get you not to use them because you think they’re insignificant, he can starve you.

It was not until the woman poured out the oil that it became more.

When you feel poor, you don’t pour, because you hold onto what you have.

When the need seems so big compared to the supply, you call it [the supply] nothing, so it doesn’t multiply.

Your miracle is hidden in what you’ve been overlooking…the reason you’ve been overlooking it is because it seems small to you and the reason it seems small to you is because you’re overlooking what you are not [as opposed to what you are].

Keep On Pouring:

What do you have left? That’s what God is going to bless–what He gave you.

What you have is what you need: the strengths you have are the strengths you need; the experiences you have are the experiences you need.

BUT the oil only flows when it’s poured. The enemy can’t steal your oil so he tries to get you to stop pouring, because when you stop pouring you stop getting filled.

It becomes more as it is poured…even if you don’t feel you have enough, as you pour it out it becomes more.

Bitterness will keep you from pouring what you have while you wait for what you want.

The more you pour, the more it flows.

Sometimes you pour into people and the don’t say a word [of thanks/acknowledgement], but they’re not your Source…pour for the Lord, not for the appreciation of the people that you pour into.

Shut the Door:

It’s what you pour out in private, when no one is looking [that counts]…we’re so busy praying for more, more, more and God says pour, pour, pour.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Your blessing flows through the cracks of your broken vessels.

You’re the chosen vessel.

God didn’t choose you in spite of your cracks, He chose you because of them…that ensures that people will not compliment the vessel, they will value the oil: what God put inside of you and you’ve got to pour it out.

It’s good when you feel empty, when you know you need, because then you remember your source…the woman took her needs to the man of God. Seek Him first–Matthew 6:33.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

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Welcome to my blog!

This blog has evolved over the past seven years to not simply reflect my tastes in reading, but to also follow my journey as I grow in Christ. I strive to help you all not only find good literature, but also find encouragement for your Christian walk.